Week Twenty-Five, 2024
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come (Joel 2:31).
It was a dark, very dark, night and we were deep in the woods in South Africa, where there were no lights other than a bright moon. At the predicted time, with a flashlight in hand, we ventured out on to a grass runway and laid down on our backs. Slowly, as if a shade was being pulled down, the black pulled across the moon, until its bright light was totally obliterated. We could not see our hands in front of our faces. It was a total eclipse of the moon. It was the hand of God.
eclipse
What is significant about these events is that they were scheduled and predicted many years ago. For example, the next solar eclipse in America will be on August 23, 2044. These phenomena illustrated how ordered our universe is. It could have only been created and orchestrated by an intelligent designer.
Recently, there was an eclipse of the sun in the mid-afternoon. It spread across North America. At some places, it was totally dark. Things that happen at dark happened, like animals baying their good night calls.
What did the Bible say about the eclipse? Isaiah 13:10: “The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light.” Ezekiel 32:7: “When I extinguish you, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give its light.”
A full solar eclipse is not just a spectacle to witness; it is a profound opportunity for inner growth and transformation. It is God in action. For those who plan to be around in 2044, put August 23 on your calendar. The eclipse is going to happen because God’s plan says it will!!
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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES
The Basics:
The late Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant was one of the best players in professional basketball. His workout regiment was legendry and his dedication to the fundamentals of the sport was uncompromising.
The story is told that Nike sent Alan Stein, Jr to witness one of Bryant’s workouts. When he arrived at 4:00 am, Kobe was already dripping with sweat with a warmup before the workout. For the next 45 minutes, Stein watch Bryant work on basic basketball drills.
Later Stein, who admitted he became bored just watching Bryant’s routine, asked the star of 5 championship teams and many individual awards, why he spent so much time on simple, basic drills? Kobe’s response was golden.
“Why do you think I’m the best player in the world? Because I never ever get bored with the basics.”
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Words of wisdom from Edgar Aponte:
• The only way you can worship God is through His Son Jesus Christ.
• Building takes much longer than destroying.
• Sometimes the best thing we can do is wait. The Lord will never forget you.
• We are not saved by our feelings. We are saved by Jesus.
• God remembers His people, so He remembers you. Wait on Him.
• God preserves His people through the judgement of the world. The Lord will keep you.
• Believers respond with worship to God’s saving and sustaining grace. Worship the Lord!
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We plan ahead for many things so that when the time comes, we are ready. We carefully plan for vacations. We plan out our career path. We plan for our new house and all its decorations. We must, like Joseph, plan for what to do when Satan tempts us to sin. We need to be so full of God’s Word that we don’t hesitate to reject Satan’s temptations. When faced with sin, flee. Be like Joseph. Rich Jensen
QUOTES YOU CAN USE
God desires availability more than our ability.
If God calls you, are you willing to accept. Everyone wants to play first chair.
A day wasted on others is not wasted on one’s-self. Charles Dickens
When I was younger, I could remember anything, whether it had happened or not. Mark Twain
When we don’t pray it’s us saying Declaration of Independence from God. We think we have it figured out. We need to pray
When you need to get your life in perspective, there’s no better place to go than into the house of God. Pastor Greg Murphy
Give the world the best you have, and the best will come to you. Madeline Bridges
If a hummingbird can find food in the midst of a rainstorm, God will help me find food for my soul. Dwight Short
We like to think of ourselves as seeds until we realize that to succeed, we must die to ourselves. Dwight Short
After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. Nelson Mandela
Never let go of what you do know because of something you don’t know. Dan Shock
Pursue what catches your heart, not what catches your eyes. Roy T. Bennett
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